The X Factor UK (Series 6)
Series 6 of The X Factor premiered on August 22, 2009 and ended on December 13, 2009 on ITV. It was won by 18-year old pop singer Joe McElderry who was part of the Boys category mentored by Cheryl Cole, giving her second win in a row as a mentor. Until 2015, he was the youngest winner in the show's history. He had previously auditioned for the show in 2007 but withdrew as he felt he was too young. This series was watched by an average of 13 million viewers - over 2.5 million more than the previous series. Production The show was presented by Dermot O'Leary for the third year running, with spin-off show The Xtra Factor presented by Holly Willoughby on ITV2. Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole returned as judges. Judges Twists/Changes Audtions: Auditions were held in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Glasgow. In a change to previous years, auditions were held in front of a live audience due to the success of a similar system on Britain's Got Talent. However, Glaswegian auditionees had already been judged using the old format, meaning that they had to apply again, as their initial audition was void. Live Shows: There was a further change in the format of the live shows which saw the finalists performing every Saturday night with the results announced on Sundays. The live final was also held over two nights for the first time. Finalists Selection process Auditions See: List of The X Factor UK auditionees (series 6) In a change to previous years, auditions were moved from a room to an arena in front of an audience similar to the format used by Britain's Got Talent. Previous contestants who returned to audition were eventual winner Joe McElderry who auditioned in Series 4 but opted to leave as he felt he was too young at the time. Finalists Rikki Loney and Rachel Adedeji also auditioned during Series 5 but both were rejected at bootcamp. Danyl Johnson auditioned during Series 3 but did not make it past the producers auditions. Series 7 finalist Cher Lloyd auditioned the previous year but did not get far. Bootcamp See: Bootcamp (UK series 6) Judges' Houses See: Judges' Houses (UK series 6) Live Shows Results Summary Ratings Controversies Bootcamp On 2 August 2009, it was reported that some bootcamp contestants felt they had been poorly treated by the show's producers; one compared the experience with that of a concentration camp and another claimed that those competing were only allowed to use the toilet twice a day. However, a spokesperson for the programme refuted the claims, saying "Yes, it was long hours but they knew what they were signing up for. The hopefuls got breakfast at the hotel and decent food throughout the day". New audition format The new audition format (whereby auditions are held in front of a studio audience) was criticised by fans, by Cole and by certain former contestants. Recycled contestants The show was criticised in September 2009 for "recycling" contestants, as three singers from the final 24 acts had already been in pop bands, two had auditioned for the show in previous years and one had appeared on Britain's Got Talent. Danyl Johnson Controversy began after the first live show on 10 October, after Minogue commented on press reports regarding Danyl Johnson's sexuality, sparking an online backlash. Minogue's comments received some media coverage resulting in Minogue releasing a statement on the issue: "I want to clear up exactly what happened on last night's X Factor show and post my sincere apologies to anyone who took offense sic. I made a comment about Danyl changing the lyrics of his song. It was meant to be a humorous moment about the fact he has an opportunity to have fun with his song. An openly bi-sexual singing a song that is lyrically a 'girl's song'. Danyl and I were joking about the very same thing in rehearsals on Friday, so it carried on to the show. I'd like to apologise to anyone that was offended by my comments, it was never my intention. I spoke to Danyl straight after the show last night and he wasn't offended or upset by my comments, and knew exactly what I was saying." Minogue also apologised on the live results show on 11 October, saying Danyl was not upset by her comments. It has since been reported that Ofcom received around 4000 complaints from viewers over the comment. Trivia * One notable auditionee was British gymnast Louis Smith who was criticized by all four judges for his singing skills and did not pass the audition stage. He went on to win a silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics. Category:Series Category:The X Factor UK Category:The X Factor UK (Series 6)